Is this stuff OK in walls and under-roof ceilings, when your climate is kinda mild?
Here in deep freeze snow country (over 8000 heating degree days, lows down to minus 45, etc.) we would not consider anything other than spray foam, but I don’t know about western NC, where I am considering going.
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The most common insulation around here is FG. If you need insulation in a narrow spot, you buy the ridgid foam, but FG is generally used in floors, walls, ceilings. I wish I knew something worthwhile to say, except for it's the norm. SF Bay area
Fiberglass is pretty much the norm in much of the country, at least for wall insulation. It's rarely the ideal insulation for the particular circumstances, but it's easy to install and builders are comfortable with it.
In west NC, as in most parts of the country, how tightly a house is put together is more critical than the specific type and amount of insulation. And issues like furnace efficiency, duct leakage into unconditioned space, etc, are more likely to affect heating costs.
I agree with DanH. F/G is pretty much the norm around. The biggest differance I have seen in the three differnt insulation contractors I have dealt with is the care they take in installation. Just stuffing f/g batts in a wall is easy. Doing it right takes more time, and thus cost more.
If you buying a home, the insulation in the walls is one of those items you can't see. Without being able to see the detailing of the installation, you could be getting far less R value than is claimed by the builder or HO selling the home. If you are going to build,then use what you want, foam, densepack cells, f/g, rigid foam, etc. The only problem then becomes finding a sub for the insulation. Around here f/g is king, so a sub that does foam or cellulose is in a nitch market, and their prices reflect it.
Dave